1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a secondary lithium battery comprising a positive electrode, a negative electrode formed from a lithium storage material and a non-aqueous electrode. More specifically, the present invention relates to a rechargeable lithium electrochemical cell comprising a cathode, an anode containing lithium storage materials, and an electrolyte comprising a lithium salt and one or more saturated aprotic solvents.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The layered transition metal oxide, LiCoO2, is the most commonly used cathode material for rechargeable lithium ion batteries, because it has high specific capacity, high operating cell voltage and excellent rechargeability. The theoretical capacity is high at about 275 mAh/g. In practical application, however, the maximum obtainable capacity is about 140 mAh/g, corresponding to a maximum voltage charge of about 4.2 V. LiCoO2 adopts a hexagonal structure consisting of CoO2 layers separated by a Van der Waals gap. The octahedral sites within the Van der Waals gap are occupied by the lithium ions. This results in reversible intercalation of lithium.
In the case of overcharge in the region of potential higher than 4.2 V, a severe loss of capacity occurs mainly due to the increase in the amount of cobalt dissoluted, which was found to correlate with large anisotropic structural changes. As lithium is removed, the repulsion between the negatively charged CoO2 layers is enhanced, resulting in expansion of the c-axis. Due to the screening effect of lithium ions, only half of the lithium can be reversibly removed. When it is fully delithiated, the LiCoO2 structure is irreversibly destroyed.
The full delithiation of a balanced cell with a LiCoO2 cathode leads to lithium plating on the anode, because twice the amount of lithium necessary for the charge is delivered. The formed dendrites can cause short circuits, followed by heat generation, melting of lithium and thermal runaway of the battery.
When cells are charged to a voltage greater than 4.2V, electrolyte oxidation also occurs. Although small, continuous oxidation can influence the capacity, cycle life, and safety of the cell. The oxidation consumes the electrolyte and often generates gaseous products (K. Kumai, H. Miyashiro, Y. Kobayashi, K. Takei and R. Ishikawa, J. Power Sources 1999, 81-82, 715-719). Therefore, the cells become dry, the capacity decreases, and the internal pressure of the cell increases, thereby increasing the risk of explosion.
A direct electrochemical reaction between the cathode and the electrolyte causes oxidation of the electrolyte and is considered as a major course of self-discharge (S. Matsuta, Y. Kato, T. Ota, H. Kurokawa, S. Yoshimura and S. Fujitani, J. Electrochem. Soc. 2001, 148(1), A7-A10). Many studies on the reactions between the positive electrode and the electrolyte have been published. Methods such as electron-spin-resonance (ESR) (S. Matsuta, et. al., supra), infrared and Raman spectroscopy (T. Itoh, N. Anzue, M. Mohamedi, Y. Hisamitsu, M. Umeda and I. Uchida, Electrochemistry Communications 2000, 2, 743-748), X-ray diffraction measurements, and differential electrochemical mass spectrometry (K. Kanamura, J. Power Sources 1999, 81-82, 123-129; P. Novak, J.-C. Panitz, F. Joho, M. Lanz, R. Imhof and M. Coluccia, J. Power Sources 2000, 90, 52-58; M. Moshkovich, M. Cojocaru, H. E. Gottlieb and D. Aurbach, J. Electroanal. Chem. 2001, 497, 84-96) were used for characterizing the reactions.
The overcharge of lithium batteries can be prevented by different methods (G. Venugopal, J. Power Sources 2001, 101, 231-237). Usually, the cell voltage is controlled via electronic devices, and the charging procedure is stopped at a default cut-off potential. In the case of overcharge, an irreversible cut-off is provided by a current interrupt device (CID) or a thermal fuse activated by the heat generated during the overcharge, or by pressure of generated gaseous products. Also, the use of shutdown separators irreversibly activated within a narrow temperature range is widespread. In addition to these irreversible cut-off mechanisms, some cells also contain a positive-temperature-coefficient (PTC) device that provides current-limiting capability over a wide temperature range.
The addition of additives to the electrolyte is also used to initiate a current cutoff or to limit the cell voltage internally. The additives can therefore be classified by their mode of action as follows:
Redox shuttle additives: The redox shuttle approach to overcharge protection employs an electrolyte additive which acts as an internal current shunt when the charging potential exceeds the oxidation potential of the additive. Applications of this concept to overcharge protection in rechargeable lithium batteries have been reported (T. J. Richardson and P. N. Ross Jr., J. Power Sources 1999, 84, 1-5). The additives include, for example, dihydrophenazine derivatives (F. Tran-Van, M. Provencher, Y. Choquette and D. Delabouglise, Electrochim. Acta 1999, 44, 2789-2792) and polypyridine complexes of iron (C. S. Cha, X. P. Ai and H. X. Yang, J. Power Souces 1995, 54, 255-258).
Gassing additives: If the oxidation potential of these additives is exceeded, their electrochemical decomposition leads to gas formation and an increase of the internal cell pressure. The corresponding batteries are equipped with a electronic disconnect device activated by a default overpressure. The suitable additives include compounds, such as phenyl-R-phenyl compounds, for example, 2,2-diphenylpropane (J. N. Reimers and B. M. Way, U.S. Pat. No. 6,074,777 1998) and alkyl benzene derivatives (E. Masuko, JP 5036439 1993).
Polymerizable additives: These additives are polymerized at high voltages, thereby increasing the internal resistance of the battery and thus protecting it. Aromatic additives such as biphenyl, 3-chlorothiophene, and furan are particularly suitable for certain lithium batteries (H. Mao, U.S. Pat. No. 5,879,834 1996). Electrolyte additives, which electrochemically form conductive polymers, can be used to create a short circuit inside the battery, as a result of overcharge abuse, and also can be used to automatically discharge the battery internally. Aromatic compounds, such as biphenyl are particularly suitable additives (H. Mao and D. S. Wainwright, U.S. Pat. No. 6,074,776 1998).